Literacy: Spanning North America
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Online Learning Leaves Some Adult Students Offline
Street
Sense Media: 7.02.2020 by Asia Rollins
K-12 and university students were not the only people forced to
transition to remote classes in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The
digital divide between those who have access to modern technology and those who
do not is even wider for students in adult education programs.
Some local organizations that offer adult learning programs have
created new online classes, provided students with laptops, scheduled
instructors for Zoom meetings, and provided take-home packets. The resources
are helpful, but without a sufficient internet connection, a student’s progress
grinds to a halt.
“If our students don’t have reliable internet access, in addition to a
tablet, smartphone, or computer, it’s impossible to continue remote learning,”
said Annette Larkin, a public relations consultant for the Washington Literacy Center. “We’re doing
our best to support our students to continue their education online, but it’s a
challenge for a variety of reasons.”
The Washington Literacy Center’s offices have been closed since March
due to safety concerns. Roughly 200 students rely on the Washington Literacy
Center for GED classes or job training. The fact that students can take
advantage of online resources is great, but nothing beats in-person classes,
according to Larkin.
“Teaching adult learners who are not already digitally literate
compounds the challenge,” said Larkin. “Some students may be unfamiliar with
using computers and emails.”
Almost 95% of the people who use Washington Literacy Center’s
resources live in poverty due to not having access to basic education. Yet the
center says the center says many students are able to go on and secure better
jobs or continue their education after completing classes. READ MORE ➤➤
Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade
Level: 13
Reading
Level: difficult to read.
Reader's
Age: 18-19 yrs. old
(college
level entry)
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Ozark Literacy Council Launches Summer Scavenger Hunt
Fayetteville Flyer: 7.01.2020 by Todd Gill
Ozark Literacy Council
just announced a scavenger hunt that will send teams of up to five people on an
adventure to complete a variety of tasks in and around Fayetteville this
summer.
The first 50 teams to register will be eligible for prizes, which
include gift cards of up to $150 to local shops.
=Prizes will be given to the top three teams with the most points at
the end of the hunt. Each task is worth 5 points, unless otherwise noted, and
there are 20 tasks in all.
Tasks include finding and taking a photo of the council’s first tutor
trainer’s name on the senior walk on the University of Arkansas campus, taking
a selfie in front of a Little Free Library, and locating one of the PIGShibition
sculptures that were auctioned and placed around town as part of a
fundraising and awareness effort led by council in 2012 (Note: Most
of the sculptures have been moved since our post about their original locations).
Literacy in the Ozarks Scavenger Hunt Clues
1. Do you remember our first tutor trainer, Jamil Mohad Shami? Find and
take a picture of his name on the senior walk at U of A. (Reminder/Hint: He
began studying around 1964).
2. We are proudly supported by the Barbara Broyles Endowment which was
set up and celebrated in 2004. Find and take a picture outside of the bank the celebration
was held in. You may have to investigate our social media feeds to
find the answer.
3. Find and take a picture with one of our old buildings/sites.
Document how the buildings/sites changed and what occupies them now.
4. We participated in many NALA meetings held at this popular
Fayetteville destination known for its fabulous views. Go up there and take a
picture capturing this beautiful site.
5. Look through our scrapbook series and recreate one of our
#OLChistory moments! Be sure to let us know which pic you are recreating. We
have some fun ones!!
6. Did you know we made a cookbook a couple of years ago featuring food
from our students’ homelands? Make a delicious non-American dish or meal (be
sure to include a recipe so others can enjoy it later too).
7. Create a music video for our song.
READ
MORE ➤➤
Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 7
Reading Level: fairly easy to
read.
Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. old
(Sixth and Seventh graders)
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Butte County Opening Library Branches on Tuesday
Enterprise
Record: 7.03.2020 by Kyra Gottesman
Butte County Library branches throughout the county will reopen to the
public Tuesday, but each branch has varying hours and days of operation.
Library patrons will be able to visit branches to return and pick up
items, in addition to browsing library shelves and borrowing items. However,
visitors are asked to keep their time at the library to 30 minutes or less, and
will be asked to wear face masks.
═════════►
Perhaps of all the programs most challenged in making the shift from
in-person to virtual has been the Adult Literacy Ready Program. Through this
program trained tutors are matched one-on-one with adults interested in
improving their basic literacy skills.
Since in-person tutoring sessions are not currently possible, tutors
have been staying in touch with their “learners” via phone and text.
Additionally, the library has provided the adults in this program with journals
to “encourage them to keep writing” and sends them “News for You,” an “easy-to-read
weekly newspaper covering current events,” said Heather Tovey, literacy
specialist.
“We are working to keep our learners engaged while we are looking at
new ways to do tutoring, actively exploring different approaches including
Zoom. It’s really better face-to-face but that won’t happen until it’s safe,”
which will be determined in later phases of reopening, said Tovey.
While the library works on adjusting the Adult Literacy program to
operate effectively under COVID-19 restrictions, Tovey said there is a need for
more tutors.
“We’re kicking off a new virtual tutor training on July 25. READ
MORE ➤➤
Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 12
Reading Level: fairly difficult
to read.
Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old
(Twelfth graders)
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N.L. Organization Getting Closer To Developing Online Learning Platform
For People With Low Literacy Skills
Saltwire:
7.03.2020 by Diane Crocker
The Newfoundland and Labrador Laubach
Literacy Council (NLLLC) has been struggling for some time to reach the
people who need its services.
“There’s people out in communities that do not have any type of
literacy services,” said Margie Lewis, executive director of the council, which
is based in Corner Brook.
The council, which offers a one-to-one tutoring service, has been
grappling with the question of how to reach those people and get into those
communities where it doesn’t have tutors, or where those who were tutoring have
moved away.
What started as a conversation in 2018 is getting closer to becoming
the solution the council has been looking for.
Lewis and Kelly Taylor-Hulan had been talking about the barriers
people face in online learning.
Taylor-Hulan has been teaching online for 15 years and that was the
focus of work she was doing for her master’s degree in communications and
technology through the University of Alberta. She was getting ready to start
her capstone project, wanted to do something that would count and suggested
they could help each other.
The result is Going the Distance, a project launched by the NLLLC in
April 2019 to bring its one-to-one tutoring program online. Taylor-Hulan is the
lead researcher on the $281,000-project, which is funded by the NL Workforce
Innovation Centre.
“The ultimate goal is to create an online platform so that Laubach
Literacy can reach more people in an online environment while still keeping
their one-to-one tutoring model,” said Taylor-Hulan. READ
MORE ➤➤
Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 12
Reading Level: fairly difficult
to read.
Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old
(Twelfth graders)
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